Teen found dead in lake was missing state ward

June 24, 2009

A 16-year-old boy who drowned in Lake Michigan Tuesday afternoon had been a ward of the state and had been missing from a home for wards of the state since the end of May, officials say.

The body of Shaun King was discovered at about 2 p.m. near 5200 S. Lake Shore Dr., according to Chicago Police Officer David Banks. He had been at the lake with three friends when he decided to go swimming, police said.

"The witnesses observed him go under and surface once and then go under again and [he] did not surface. At that point, I'm not sure how, but they did summon for help," said police spokeswoman Gabrielle Lesniak.

King had run away from the facility to Lake Michigan with a friend, sources said. When he went underwater and didn't come up, the friend--who thought of himself like a brother of King's--thought King was kidding around. The friend called police and King was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

King was under water when police and fire departments responded. They reported that he was in "grave condition," Lesniak said. He was later pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Shaun's address was listed as 4833 N. Francisco Ave., where Lawrence Hall Youth Services operates a home for wards of the state.

"He was a resident at a residential treatment center," said Kendall Marlowe, spokesman for the state Department of Children and Family Services. "He ran away . . . which was reported to police and the DCFS child location unit."

Shaun King came into the child welfare system in 1995, according to sources familiar with his case. King came to Lawrence Hall, a group home, in January 2008. He began to work toward his independence from the child welfare system and discovered that his girlfriend was pregnant. The baby was born in May, and he frequently left the home to visit his child, sources said.

Casheona King, 20, King's sister, declined a request for an interview. But through a juvenile court attorney, she said she had a great brother and added:

"He was really trying to get his life back on track because he just had a baby but he didn't make it," she said.

Lesniak said a missing person's report had been filed on King by Lawrence Hall officials. According to the report, he was last seen at 9:15 a.m. on May 20 at Lawrence Hall center.

Mary Hollie, chief executive officer of Lawrence Hall Youth Services, said in a statement that "the death of the youth who was a former resident in our program is a tragedy. We join his family and friends in grieving his loss. We remain focused on providing counseling and support to the youth and employees who knew him."

Shaun was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at about 9 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy is scheduled for this morning.